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Flame-Retardant Polymers and Hybrid Composites: Recycling and Circular Economy

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A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Composites and Nanocomposites".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2022) | Viewed by 13309

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Kate Nguyen

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Guest Editor

Innovative Fire and Façade Engineering Group, School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Interests: FRP; nanocomposite; fire; construction materials; waste in construction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is devoted to the recycling of flame-retardant polymers and hybrid composites as well as flame-retardant composites from recycled resources. Hybrid polymer–wood or polymer–inorganic composites, incorporating the advantages of both polymer and wood/inorganic matrices, have been increasingly used. Non-halogen flame retardants have also been developed comprehensively to replace the halogen varieties with adverse health effects. There is an urgent demand to develop flame-retardant composites from recycled resources to minimise the future impact on our ecology. Areas to be covered in this Special Issue may include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

Flame retardants and composites from recycled resources;
Polymers and composites, including wood and inorganic hybrid composites;
Use of flame retardants in improving fire performance: reducing heat release and suppressing smoke emission;
Environmental impact and toxicity;
Circular economy of recycling flame-retardant composites.

Dr. Kate Nguyen
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

polymer
flame retardant
fire
nanocomposite
safety
recycling
circular economy
toxicity
health impact
ecological impact
construction
upcycling

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2877 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Flammability and Thermal Kinetic Analysis of UiO-66-Based PMMA Polymer Composites

by Ruiqing Shen, Tian-Hao Yan, Rong Ma, Elizabeth Joseph, Yufeng Quan, Hong-Cai Zhou and Qingsheng Wang

Polymers 2021, 13(23), 4113; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13234113 - 26 Nov 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2225

Abstract

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are emerging as novel flame retardants for polymers, which, typically, can improve their thermal stability and flame retardancy. However, there is a lack of specific studies on the thermal decomposition kinetics of MOF-based polymer composites, although it is known that they are important for the modeling of flaming ignition, burning, and flame spread over them. The thermal decomposition mechanisms of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) have been well investigated, which makes PMMA an ideal polymer to evaluate how fillers affect its decomposition process and kinetics. Thus, in this study, UiO-66, a common type of MOF, was embedded into PMMA to form a composite. Based on the results from the microscale combustion calorimeter, the values of the apparent activation energy of PMMA/UiO-66 composites were calculated and compared against those of neat PMMA. Furthermore, under cone calorimeter tests, UiO-66, at only 1.5 wt%, can reduce the maximum burning intensity and average mass loss rate of PMMA by 14.3% and 12.4%, respectively. By combining UiO-66 and SiO₂ to form a composite, it can contribute to forming a more compact protective layer, which shows a synergistic effect on reducing the maximum burning intensity and average mass loss rate of PMMA by 22.0% and 14.7%, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Flame-Retardant Polymers and Hybrid Composites: Recycling and Circular Economy)

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13 pages, 2616 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mode of Action of Condensed- and Gaseous-Phase Fire Retardation in Some Phosphorus-Modified Polymethyl Methacrylate- and Polystyrene-Based Bulk Polymers

by Paul Joseph, Malavika Arun, Stephen Bigger, Maurice Guerrieri, Doris Pospiech and Christina Harnisch

Polymers 2021, 13(19), 3402; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13193402 - 03 Oct 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1840

Abstract

The aspects of fire retardation in some phosphorus-modified polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polystyrene (PSt) polymers are reported in the present paper. Both additive and reactive strategies were employed to obtain the desired level of loading of the phosphorus-bearing compound/moiety (2 wt.% of P in each case). Test samples were obtained using bulk polymerization. The modifying compounds contained the P-atom in various chemical environments, as well as in an oxidation state of either III or V. With a view to gain an understanding of the chemical constitution of the gaseous products formed from the thermal decomposition of liquid additives/reactives, these materials were subjected to GC/MS analysis, whereas the decomposition of solid additives was detailed using the pyrolysis-GC/MS technique. Other investigations included the use of: Inductively-coupled Plasma/Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP/OES), solid-state NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy. In the case of PMMA-based systems, it was found that the modifying phosphonate ester function, upon thermal cracking, produced ‘phosphorus’ acid species which initiated the charring process. In the case of solid additives, it is more likely that the resultant phosphorus- and/or oxygenated phosphorus-containing volatiles acted as flame inhibitors in the gaseous phase. With the PSt-based systems, a probable process involving the phosphorylation of the phenyl groups leading to crosslinking and char formation is feasible. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Flame-Retardant Polymers and Hybrid Composites: Recycling and Circular Economy)

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21 pages, 13422 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Novel Analytical Method for Mix Design and Performance Prediction of High Calcium Fly Ash Geopolymer Concrete

by Chamila Gunasekara, Peter Atzarakis, Weena Lokuge, David W. Law and Sujeeva Setunge

Polymers 2021, 13(6), 900; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13060900 - 15 Mar 2021

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3458

Abstract

Despite extensive in-depth research into high calcium fly ash geopolymer concretes and a number of proposed methods to calculate the mix proportions, no universally applicable method to determine the mix proportions has been developed. This paper uses an artificial neural network (ANN) machine learning toolbox in a MATLAB programming environment together with a Bayesian regularization algorithm, the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm and a scaled conjugate gradient algorithm to attain a specified target compressive strength at 28 days. The relationship between the four key parameters, namely water/solid ratio, alkaline activator/binder ratio, Na₂SiO₃/NaOH ratio and NaOH molarity, and the compressive strength of geopolymer concrete is determined. The geopolymer concrete mix proportions based on the ANN algorithm model and contour plots developed were experimentally validated. Thus, the proposed method can be used to determine mix designs for high calcium fly ash geopolymer concrete in the range 25–45 MPa at 28 days. In addition, the design equations developed using the statistical regression model provide an insight to predict tensile strength and elastic modulus for a given compressive strength. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Flame-Retardant Polymers and Hybrid Composites: Recycling and Circular Economy)

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Review

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23 pages, 2942 KiB

Open AccessReview

Engineering Performance of Concrete Incorporated with Recycled High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)—A Systematic Review

by Sonali Abeysinghe, Chamila Gunasekara, Chaminda Bandara, Kate Nguyen, Ranjith Dissanayake and Priyan Mendis

Polymers 2021, 13(11), 1885; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13111885 - 06 Jun 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5080

Abstract

Incorporating recycled plastic waste in concrete manufacturing is one of the most ecologically and economically sustainable solutions for the rapid trends of annual plastic disposal and natural resource depletion worldwide. This paper comprehensively reviews the literature on engineering performance of recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) incorporated in concrete in the forms of aggregates or fiber or cementitious material. Optimum 28-days’ compressive and flexural strength of HDPE fine aggregate concrete is observed at HDPE-10 and splitting tensile strength at HDPE-5 whereas for HDPE coarse aggregate concrete, within the range of 10% to 15% of HDPE incorporation and at HDPE-15, respectively. Similarly, 28-days’ flexural and splitting tensile strength of HDPE fiber reinforced concrete is increased to an optimum of 4.9 MPa at HDPE-3 and 4.4 MPa at HDPE-3.5, respectively, and higher than the standard/plain concrete matrix (HDPE-0) in all HDPE inclusion levels. Hydrophobicity, smooth surface texture and non-reactivity of HDPE has resulted in weaker bonds between concrete matrix and HDPE and thereby reducing both mechanical and durability performances of HDPE concrete with the increase of HDPE. Overall, this is the first ever review to present and analyze the current state of the mechanical and durability performance of recycled HDPE as a sustainable construction material, hence, advancing the research into better performance and successful applications of HDPE concrete. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Flame-Retardant Polymers and Hybrid Composites: Recycling and Circular Economy)

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